Prior Learning Assessment » Experiencehttp://blog.marylhurst.edu/pla
A program of Marylhurst UniversityFri, 06 Feb 2015 23:18:14 +0000en-UShourly1PLA: A Labor of Love for Sue Klosterhttp://blog.marylhurst.edu/pla/2014/09/29/pla-a-labor-of-love-for-sue-kloster/
http://blog.marylhurst.edu/pla/2014/09/29/pla-a-labor-of-love-for-sue-kloster/#commentsMon, 29 Sep 2014 22:21:43 +0000http://blog.marylhurst.edu/pla/?p=251Sue Kloster, a Communication Studies major with a concentration in Training & Development, completed her PLA Portfolio at Marylhurst University over a five-year span, earning a total of 30 credits! With Sue’s rich work experience, she was able to challenge courses in her major on topics that she already uses on a daily basis and could document extensively. They include:

As Sue reflected on PLA, she revealed how important it was to her personal learning journey:

“I absolutely love the feeling of acknowledgment and validation I got from the prior learning assessment process. It has made me appreciate how much learning is available outside the academic environment for those who embrace and pursue it…. The PLA program, like many of the courses I have taken at Marylhurst, has taught me more about myself than any other single thing. It has been hard and wonderful.”

]]>http://blog.marylhurst.edu/pla/2014/09/29/pla-a-labor-of-love-for-sue-kloster/feed/0Prior learning + transfer credits = not starting from scratchhttp://blog.marylhurst.edu/pla/2013/07/01/prior-learning-transfer-credits-not-starting-from-scratch/
http://blog.marylhurst.edu/pla/2013/07/01/prior-learning-transfer-credits-not-starting-from-scratch/#commentsMon, 01 Jul 2013 19:02:24 +0000http://blog.marylhurst.edu/pla/?p=241One of my students, Angela Murphy, in spring term’s LRN 150 Learning Assessment Workshop, openly shared her apprehensions about coming back to college. As she considered what she’d need to do to complete her undergraduate degree, she worried that her previous college credits wouldn’t be accepted, and whether she’d be able to manage the course workload while maintaining balance with her career and family during the time it took to complete her degree — a very common concern for most adult students.

In researching colleges in the area, Angela learned that Marylhurst’s programs are specifically designed for adult learners’ complex lives and work responsibilities and, because of our liberal transfer policy, most of her previous college credits could be applied toward an undergraduate degree. She was thrilled with the opportunity this opened up for her!

She expressed to me, “I was so relieved that I would not have to start school from scratch, and that I also had the potential to earn additional college credits for what I’ve already learned through my professional and personal experiences.”

Here’s to great success on the road to seeking your degree at Marylhurst, Angela!

In his final PLA Reflection statement, Ken speaks of the power of learning in a community, with peer review as an essential component of the PLA writing process. “I have found benefit in peer review not only for developing my PLA essays, but in my personal fiction writing, as well. I have become a lot more invested in disseminating and gathering feedback about my own writing, both personally and professionally, and feel like I have a much clearer understanding of how this added perspective contributes to improving my work.”

In this audio clip, you can learn about Ken’s personal experience in the PLA program, and how he demonstrated his extensive personal and professional learning to earn 25 college credits!

COL 427 Great Meetings: Planning and Facilitating Difficult Group Discussion

CCM 321 Small Group Communication

COL 426 Team Building: Managing Work Groups

In her Final Portfolio Reflection essay, Catherine wrote:

The PLA program was especially valuable to me because it provided tools to help me find what I was interested in and did well at, and then matched that to a degree program. Education is valuable and I have always wanted to complete my bachelor’s degree; the PLA program created an environment where experience and education are combined to build a strong resume and a sound career path while working on my degree.

Through the PLA program I learned to dream again and think about my future in a more creative way. It offered me opportunities to remember where I had been and what I had done in life and how that has molded me into the person I am today. PLA then helped me take that awareness to develop an educational degree plan that truly excited me.

Congratulations, Catherine!

]]>http://blog.marylhurst.edu/pla/2011/03/08/catherine-hooper-learning-to-dream-again/feed/0Debra Giannini: Ready for What’s Nexthttp://blog.marylhurst.edu/pla/2009/07/23/debra-giannini-ready-for-whats-next/
http://blog.marylhurst.edu/pla/2009/07/23/debra-giannini-ready-for-whats-next/#commentsThu, 23 Jul 2009 19:18:27 +0000http://blog.marylhurst.edu/pla/?p=71Debra Giannini just completed her 15-credit Prior Learning Assessment Portfolio. Debra is an Interdisciplinary Studies major with concentrations in Psychology and Expressive Therapies. The topics she wrote for are:

BIO 165 – Alternatives in Health and Healing

BIO 167 – Nutritional Science

CHS 354 – Environment, Culture, and Food

CCM 342 – Rhythm-Based Communication

SPP 371 – Communicating the Sacred through Dance

In her final Reflective Essay, Debra wrote:

Like so many others examining the trails of our lived lives, I soon discovered how much I had undervalued some experiences and independent learning. In this year, I’ve become better able to express myself in writing and discussion and to appreciate how different points of view embellish and extend the learning process. I have gained skills in computer technology, time management, and research tools, and I have made many good friends and professional colleagues in the library and through the coursework . . . I feel ready to embrace the challenge of graduate school and am grateful to have become a more confident writer.

In her video, Debra tells us more about her experiences with the program, including how she saved time and money (almost $2,500) by going through the PLA program.